In a Massachusetts Republic feature titled "Craft breweries help transform 6 cities," writer Tali Arbel explores how craft breweries have helped to transform the neighborhoods around them.

"Small business owners tackled the hard work of transforming industrial buildings, many of which had sat empty as demographic changes pulled manufacturers and residents to the suburbs," she writes.

Here's a look at six breweries whose presence helped to change their surroundings:

"Great Lakes opened in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood in 1988. The downtown neighborhood was "perceived as dangerous and blighted" into the 1980s, says Eric Wobser. He works for Ohio City Inc., a nonprofit that promotes residential and commercial development while trying to preserve the neighborhood's older buildings."

"Great Lakes built a brewery and a brewpub. Other breweries and businesses -- a pasta maker, a bike shop, a tortilla factory, as well as restaurants and bars -- followed. Newcomers flock to the neighborhood, even though Cleveland's overall population is still declining. The city repaved the quiet street next to the brewery, Market Ave., with cobblestones, and poured millions into renovating a nearby 19th-century market."

Read the rest here.